Not a single modern gardener can do without the “chemistry” that even our distant ancestors sometimes used. A vivid confirmation of this is copper sulphate, whose use in horticulture in the autumn reaches such proportions that often it simply cannot be bought.
Unfortunately, not every gardener knows about all the most useful properties of this substance. In autumn there is a lot of work in the garden, and a considerable part of it requires just the same active use of copper sulfate in gardening.
Copper sulfate: properties
It looks like a coarse powder of blue color. Since the Middle Ages, it has been actively used to control pests of grapes, to destroy fungi and mold in warehouses and cellars, and to fertilize soils.
Note that the properties of vitriol are many times stronger when it is mixed with lime. Gardeners' love for this substance is largely due to the fact that it easily dissolves in ordinary water under standard conditions.
Copper sulfate: application
Why was copper sulfate originally needed? Horticultural use in the fall began in France, when local winegrowers noticed that the vine that they cultivated suffered much less from insects and fungi. By the way, this discovery was connected with a rather curious story.
A certain farmer was very tired of the fact that his vineyards constantly plucked revelers walking in beautiful places, and therefore he went on a trick. Having made a mixture based on vitriol (because of its color), he sprayed it with his plantings.
What was his surprise when the vine treated with such a "buffoonish" composition turned out to be completely healthy, not affected by any diseases! Thus, copper sulfate, the use of which in gardening in the autumn was significant before, became even more in demand.
In addition, subsequently it was widely used for disinfection and recovery of bushes already affected by diseases. The liquid itself was called "Bordeaux."
Blue vitriol as a fertilizer for the soil
We have already said that some people use it to fertilize soils in those regions where copper is scarce. For example, copper sulfate, the use of which is economically viable in gardening , can be a true salvation for the owners of those sites located on drained peat bogs.
The fact is that peat practically does not contain copper, and its lack leads to severe pathologies in people (even to mental disorders).
Consider how you can use vitriol as a mineral fertilizer. It should be introduced just in the fall. The frequency of use is once every five years. As fertilizer, it is taken at the rate of one gram per square meter of soil. The vitriol is ground properly, mixed with water and irrigated with the resulting solution to the ground.
We have already repeatedly noted that fruit and berry crops can be treated with the same solution to protect them from pests. But one should not forget about his sharply acid reaction. If you overdo it a little with the dosage, then all your plantings can get severe chemical burns.
Carefully use copper sulfate! The use in autumn gardening of this substance in reasonable dosages will allow you to receive abundant crops.